Neighbors
by Expressive Dissonance
Summary: AU. Uzumaki Naruto had always been considered "Most Likely to Befriend" in Konoha Flats Apartments, but when new neighbor Gaara moves in, Naruto's definitely got his work cut out getting through to -this- recluse. No pairings (as of yet). No ninja powers.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I needed something funny to cheer me up. This fic's been in planning for upwards of eight months now. No major pairings, maybe a hint here or there. Also, there's petfox!Kurama. :D

Thank you again for betaing, Tomoyo-chan284!

...

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki was known as the friendliest guy in all of Konoha Flats.

Sure he may be a little loud, and occasionally he would annoy someone by popping up at the wrong moment or asking to borrow sugar or something at ridiculous hours of the morning, but there was one thing he had that made everyone in the apartment complex like (or at least tolerate) him.

Pure, happy-go-lucky charisma.

And a cute little pet fox to back it up.

Now, Naruto was well-known for being a bit nosy and overly friendly, so it usually took those less social a bit longer to get used to a loud mouthed blond with sky blue eyes grinning mischievously at them from their front doors as he somehow wormed his way into their new abodes with his furry orange companion darting about his heels.

On this particular morning, Haruno Sakura had been fixing herself breakfast and started at the sudden flurry of knocks on her door. She opened it curiously, only to find none other but Uzumaki Naruto himself grinning at her cheerfully. The uninvited blond raised his nose to the air much like the little fox curled in his arms and loudly exclaimed, "Wow, something smells great! Mind if I join you?"

And of course, Sakura, being a sucker for cute things and loudmouthed blonds, let them both in. It was a pretty normal routine since Naruto was also known to be incredibly pushy, but Sakura didn't mind; talking to Naruto gave her something to do.

Plus, he usually had all the latest gossip from his frequent home invasions across the complex.

"So, Naruto," Sakura began, her eyes sparkling with mirth as she sipped at her green tea. Eager blue eyes peered at her from above the rim of his own cup.

"I hear there's a new resident moving into your building," she hinted, hoping the blond would enlighten her.

To her surprise, he merely widened his eyes in interest, his mouth gaping open in shock. "Really? Oh man, that's great! I didn't know that! I gotta go get ready to greet them," he exclaimed, hurriedly stuffing the last of his rice into his mouth and chasing it down with the remains of his warm tea before scooping up his startled pet.

And like the whirlwind he was named after, Naruto disappeared from Sakura's apartment leaving her with a puzzled expression, an unanswered question, and a sink full of dishes.

_Again_.

Son of a bitch.

…

* * *

A pale green eye stared through the crack in the door and Naruto took this as a sign to start talking.

"Hi, I'm Naruto and this," he held up a small lithe red fox in his arms for inspection, "is Kurama, we stay next-"

_SLAM!_

"...door. Well fine, you big jerk! So much for being neighborly!" The blond haired man grumbled whilst his fox tilted an ear in his direction, seemingly nonchalant as it lounged in his arms.

"Sheesh, what an asshole, huh little guy?"

The fox in his arms ignored him, casually waving his bushy tail as it dangled near his master's chest.

"Probably right up your alley," Naruto grouched, but affectionately patted the orange furball on the head before making his way back to his apartment.

…

* * *

"Okay, round 2," Naruto said, and his fox companion stared in mild interest as a very delicious smelling pan of human food was picked up from the counter. Taking that as his cue, the small fox danced impatiently around Naruto's feet expecting his share.

"No, no, Kura! This is for my new neighbor!" Naruto shouted, trying his best not to trip over his fuzzy buddy's darting form. Kurama stared up at him, ears laid back in startled surprise before the fox huffed in annoyance and gave the pan a forlorn look.

Naruto ignored the fox before marching straight up to his neighbor's door and giving it a firm knock. There was an odd sound like muted clicking and Naruto glanced down to see his foxy companion tilting its head curiously at the noise with an ear cocked. Then the door was jerked open and pale blue green eyes are once again staring at Naruto with apathy.

The blond man cleared his throat before submitting his delicious offering to the other man's scrutiny. "I dunno if you remember me, but I tried to welcome you to the neighborhood the other day. I just wanted to drop this off and introduce myself. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and this," he nudged his fox-who had been discreetly trying to sniff the stranger's bare foot-forward, "is Kurama. So if you see him around, don't freak out or anything! He's a licensed exotic pet," he said cheerfully.

For a long moment, the man practically bored a hole into Naruto's face with the sheer force of his warily suspicious glare. Then his nostrils gave the faintest twitch and he glanced at the warm pan in Naruto's hands.

"I'm Gaara," he said in a low, rough voice, as if he didn't often get to speak to others. "Is that...for me?"

Naruto shivered at the sound and Kurama ignored his master in favor of the odd, musky, fur ruffling scent coming from the open doorway of their new neighbor's place. Kurama gave a wary sniff and warbled uncertainly, prompting Naruto to hastily use his foot to herd the fox away from the crack in the door before he could try to slip in out of curiosity.

"Yep," Naruto confirmed with a nod, pushing the pan forward insistently. Just as he'd planned, the man opened the door a bit wider to reach out and wrap his hands around it. It gave him the briefest opportunity to catch a glimpse of blood red hair, pale, unblemished skin, and a fancy kanji tattoo on the other man's face before the pan was yanked forward and the door abruptly shut once more in one smooth motion.

For all of ten seconds, Naruto sat in stunned silence, then his face twisted into indignant annoyance. He'd just been smoothly and efficiently thwarted from executing his most favorite method of bogarting his way into someone's apartment.

"Hey! That's rude, Gaara! You could've at least said, 'Thank you,'" the blond shouted, giving the door a bleary stare. When there was no response, Naruto threw his hands up in exasperation and reached down to scoop up his little buddy Kurama, who had been startled by the slammed door into coughing growls.

"It's ok, he's a bit of a jerkface for that, but maybe once he's full he'll be happier," Naruto said, soothingly rubbing his fuzzy buddy's ears. Kurama's aimed a displeased copper stare at his owner, then gave a final warning huff at the door before Naruto turned to leave.

If he'd stayed a bit longer, he would heard the faint, "Thank you," from behind the door of his neighbor's apartment.

…

* * *

"God, it pisses me off! I slaved over a hot stove to make a nice meal for the guy and what does he do? Slams the door in my face without so much as a thank you or anything!"

"Mhm," his friend said disinterestedly, calmly flipping a page in his newspaper.

"I even introduced Kurama too him! No one can resist his foxy charm! It's just not done!" Said fox glanced up with an ear perked as his master's voice called his name. When there was no further mention of him, the fox chirruped in annoyance and laid his head back onto his fluffy bed.

"I don't get it! Did I do something wrong, Sasuke? Or maybe it's some weird cultural taboo to come to a stranger's house without being invited wherever he's from-"

"Oh god forbid no one wanting a _stranger_ in their home," Sasuke said with great sarcasm, before closing his newspaper with a sharp flick. "Or it could be...I don't know...he just isn't a very social guy? Did you ever think of that, moron?"

Naruto scowled at his best friend, ignoring the implied insults. They just washed over him like water anyway. "Still! I just wanted to say hi, what's so bad about that?"

"_Idiot_," Sasuke murmured semi-affectionately. "Not everyone you meet will be annoyed into being friends with you."

"Like you were?" the blond asked with a smirk, his sapphire eyes dancing with smug mirth.

Sasuke pointedly ignored him as he began gathering his belongings. He refused to give the idiot any kind of credit. "See you later, moron."

"Sure, Sasuke-bastard," Naruto returned with a grin, knowing he'd won this particular match.

The dark haired boy paused in the doorway. "Try finding something in common with the guy; he might warm up a bit if he isn't feeling awkward."

"Sasuke...did you just give me advice on how to _socialize_?" Naruto asked incredulously. "My god, I have to tell the cat lady in 603 that she might be right about you not always having a stick shoved up your ass."

The Uchiha grunted and didn't bother to answer as he slammed Naruto's door behind himself.

So what if he had to fight back a smile on the way back to his apartment?

…


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Just so you guys know, I see an appreciate the reviews, faves, and alerts I've gotten so far. My lack of response is generally from either not having anything to say or not knowing what to say, but thank you for taking the time to view this fic!

Thanks again for betaing, Tomoyo-chan284!

...

* * *

Despite his rather unpleasant habit of wearing eye searing bright colors all the time and his loud personality, all the neighbors of Konoha Flats would tell you with baffled expressions that Uzumaki Naruto was one man who was near impossible to find when he was up to something. Sometimes you wouldn't hear from him for days at a time, only for him to pop up on your doorstep with a cheeky grin and knowing eyes.

And right afterwards, he would open his mouth to ask a particularly embarrassing question about something you were certain no one else could have possibly seen.

Now given this aspect of Naruto, no one was terribly surprised when the blond disappeared for nearly three days. The true surprise came when the man showed up at the rental office with a sheepish grin and a heavily blackened eye. Most knew better than to ask, because Naruto was just _Naruto_. Uchiha Sasuke, however, was not known for his tact or respect for others' privacy.

"What happened to you, moron?" the Uchiha male asked bluntly, his dark eyes holding a small spark of curiosity as he slid his monthly rent across the counter to the nosy manager.

The blond woman unabashedly listened in on the conversation as she counted the bills, her blue eyes bursting with the intent to question Naruto further.

"Uh...I sort of ran into a fist?" the orange clad idiot mumbled.

"You ran into a fist," Sasuke said flatly, ignoring the surprised gasp from the woman in front of them. "Try again, moron."

Blue eyes narrowed in irritation. "Seriously, Sasuke, just drop it! It's no big deal!"

"Naruto," his best friend warned, his dark eyes completely serious. "What. _Happened_?"

"Ok, ok," Naruto finally grumbled. He opened his mouth to begin explaining, but unexpectedly caught the eye of the receptionist who was well known for being a huge gossip and not being able to keep a secret if her life depended on it. While most people would be embarrassed to be caught staring, the blond woman simply handed Sasuke and Naruto their receipts and leaned her elbows on the desk, clearly interested in what he had to say.

Ino Yamanaka had no shame whatsoever, after all.

Sasuke, catching on to the reason for his friend's hesitance, gave the her a look of pure displeasure. "Do you mind, Yamanaka?" he asked scathingly.

"Not at all," she replied primly, her baby blue eyes sharp and attentive. "I'm curious, too."

When she made no sign of moving, Sasuke increased the force of his glare while she merely smirked back.

She knew what Sasuke had been implying, but did she care?

You bet your ass she didn't.

"Smartass," the Uchiha muttered under his breath as he grasped his best friend's arm and began to drag him from the confines of the cramped little office.

"Sasuke, where are-"

"Walk with me," his moody friend snapped impatiently.

"...Ok," Naruto conceded, clearly confused. "But I thought you wanted me to explain about what happened?"

"You can walk and talk at the same time, moron," Sasuke growled in exasperation. "Unless you want Yamanaka telling the entire building why you're sporting a shiner the size of a dinner plate on your face."

The sneer on his face clearly stated his opinion on that particular matter.

"Right," the blond said, his blue eyes averting themselves from the severity in Sasuke's own gaze. He cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable before pursing his lips in thought; clearly he was contemplating the best way to tell Sasuke about what had happened.

"I think the new guy, Gaara, is some kind of crazy axe murderer," he finally said after a long moment of silence. "Well, that or a werewolf," the blond said with perfect severity.

Sasuke stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his face baffled as he stared at his friend. Of all the things he had been expecting the crazy blond to say (a fight, getting caught peeking in the hot springs), that had not been among them.

"What the _hell_, Uzumaki?"

Naruto gave a sheepish smile and a rather nervous giggle. "Yeah, I was kind of waiting on him to come out so we could talk since he never leaves his apartment. When he finally did come out, it was pretty late-maybe 2 am?

"Anyway, so he comes rushing out of his place at 2 am covered in red, and I was so shocked that I didn't even bother trying to come out to talk to him. I just sort of sat and stared out the window wondering what the hell I'd just seen."

"You were stalking him for that long?" Sasuke asked, both his brows practically disappearing beneath his bangs as he stared at Naruto in disbelief.

"It wasn't _stalking_, bastard!" Naruto yells back defensively, his face genuinely affronted. "Besides, I'd been hearing weird noises from his apartment all day and it was freaking me out! Can you blame me for being a little bit curious?"

"No, but I'm sure _he_ could," Sasuke said, pointedly glancing at Naruto's black eye.

"Yeah, yeah," the blond muttered. Once more he cleared his throat. "So anyway, the next day, I go to knock on Gaara's door to see if everything is alright and when I knocked, something started frantically scratching at the door. And I'm standing there practically shitting my pants when Gaara kind of shouts, 'Shut up!' and he pulls open the door-"

"Sounds absolutely murderific so far," Sasuke quips sarcastically. "I'm just this side of pissing myself," he says blandly.

Naruto glared. The effect was mostly ruined by the ugly, round bruise gluing one of his eyes shut, though.

"So he opens the door," he continued loudly, trying his best to drown out Sasuke's sarcasm, "and his face is all scratched up, like some chick took her fingernails to his cheek in desperation, y'know? So I pushed open his door to try and see what was going on-"

"In other words, you stuck your nose where it doesn't belong-" Sasuke broke in.

Naruto gave his friend a distinctly _un_friendly look. "Do you want me to tell you or not, bastard?"

Sasuke mimed zipping his lips and Naruto grunted in annoyance.

"Anyway, he got really pissed. Before I realized it, he sort of cocked his fist back and slammed it into my eye, so I didn't get to see anything before he knocked me out on my ass. And then he told me to 'mind my own fucking business before he did worse'."

The look on Sasuke's face was disdainful. "Why am I friends with you again?"

"This is serious, Sasuke! What if he's been holding someone hostage and they almost got free but I fucked it up for them? Or maybe he's been eating people and disposing of the corpses at night!"

"Or maybe he could just be minding his own damn business and not want _extra_ company?" Sasuke's voice drawled slowly and precisely, as if speaking to a child.

Naruto gaped in astonishment. The thought had never occurred to him before.

"Oh." he said rather eloquently. "So he might have a..."

Sasuke shook his head, marveling at his friend's idiocy.

His curiosity now sated, Sasuke sighed through his nose before giving his friend a small sideways glance. Naruto was just being Naruto, and he knew the idiot wasn't really trying to purposely make the new guy's life hell, but sometimes he wished his friend was a little more realistic.

"You owe the guy an apology," Sasuke told his friend rather abruptly as he began walking towards his apartment. Naruto, of course, merely changed course to dog his heels.

"_What_? You have gotta be fucking kidding me! The guy punches me and _I_ have to apologize?"

The dark haired male ignored his friend's indignation in favor of gracing him with a cool stare. "You invaded his privacy. Besides, I've punched you plenty of times," he reminded.

"That's different, bastard! We're friends so it's ok! And I know he's up to _something_; I can smell it!"

Now both of Sasuke's eyebrows rose. "Are you sure that's not just the stench of your own guilt?"

The blond flushed. _Bingo_. Sasuke had definitely struck a nerve there.

And of course, Sasuke wouldn't be Sasuke if he didn't decide to press his opportunity to fluster Naruto even further.

He made a great show of inspecting his nails as he quietly let his best friend squirm. "You could always make it up to him by begging his forgiveness. But I'm sure your pride won't let you do that. So much for _you_ being Konoha Flats' Number One Friendly Neighbor, moron."

The heat of the blond's glare only made the Uchiha's lips curl up from small smile to a full blown smirk.

"Oh yeah? Well I'll show you that I can get anyone to be my friend! I'm gonna go over there and get him to like me if it's the last thing I do!" Naruto declared loudly enough for several people to give him curious looks.

_Hook, line, and sinker,_ Sasuke thought. "Hmph, we'll see," he murmured vaguely, inwardly pleased with his ability to play Naruto like a fiddle.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Why does this fic make me so ridiculously happy? I'm leaning towards NaruGaa pairing for this fic. What do you guys think? Leave it no pair or play matchmaker? I guess we'll see how I feel.

Once again, much love to Tomoyo for betaing!

...

* * *

_Knock knock knock._

Naruto fidgeted nervously as he held his newest culinary creation in his hands. He was waiting for his new neighbor to open the door but jeez, did the guy have to take so long? "Augh, just _answer_ already!" he muttered, shuffling from one foot to the other in his anxiety.

Kurama, had been who sitting quietly at his master's side tilted his head to the side, his large ears twitching at the nervousness of his master's voice. The fox gave a flick of his tail and warbled curiously, his copper tinted eyes staring up at the blond that was all but dancing as he waited for their neighbor to answer the door.

Naruto, catching his finicky pet's stare gave an irritated huff. "What're you looking at?" he grumbled at the fox, who merely stared back.

Suddenly, the light sound of shuffling met his ears from behind the door and Naruto perked up just in time to see the front door cracked open a fraction. Wary aqua eyes peered through the crack at the blond. A long awkward moment of uncomfortable settled over the both of them as his neighbor's eyes widened in surprised recognition before narrowing a second later in annoyance. Gaara said nothing, and merely waited for the blond's excuses, his eyes clearly broadcasting his impatience and desire to close the door in the other male's face for the intrusion.

"Ah, hi, Gaara!" Naruto hurriedly piped up, his nerves obvious as he reached a hand behind his head and began to scratch at the golden locks. "I came by to apologize for last night. It was nosy and rude of me to pry and I should respect your privacy and uhm...I guess I'm sorry?"

That blank stare remained on his face throughout his entire speech, and the faint crease that had been on Gaara's eyebrowless face had steadily deepened into an unhappy wrinkle. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity (most of which Naruto spent sweating and hoping Gaara really wasn't a murderer about to snap and kill him) the redheaded male opened his mouth and spoke.

"You guess?" his rather rough voice asked, as bright aqua eyes locked on the slightly anxious face of his blond neighbor. "That's a pitiful apology," he said in a rather bland monotone.

Naruto twitched as he had to force down the instinctive response to snap at the other man. A deep breath slightly calmed him and he planted the brightest smile he could muster onto his face. "I'm _really_ sorry," he amended, trying his best to seem completely sincere.

The deadpan stare he received in return only served to further piss Naruto off.

"You know, this is the part where you say, 'It's ok, I forgive you,' and we both laugh this whole thing off and then you invite me inside for a drink and we become friends," the blond declared tersely.

Aqua eyes widened the slightest bit as Gaara stared at Naruto as if he was a complete moron. Was this guy _serious_? Not only had he tried twice before to stick his nose into Gaara's business, but he'd also snuck his way inside his apartment just a few days ago and nearly ruined everything. Gaara had _just_ moved into this place and he refused to have to move again because of some spiky haired busybody with more air in his head than brains.

Gaara silently considered Naruto for another moment before quietly stating, "You have five seconds to move before I close the door in your face."

Naruto's face practically crumpled as he gaped at his new neighbor. Here he was offering peace and his friendship and this guy was treating him as if he was some kind of plague or nuisance!

The nerve of some people.

"One. Two-"

Naruto scowled. "You don't have to be an asshole about it! I just want-"

"Three. Four-"

"-to get to-"

"_Five_." The door slammed with a rattle, and the blond man simply stared at the doorway, his face flushed in anger as he stared at the spot where Gaara had previously been.

"-know you." he finished belatedly. "You could have at least accepted my peace offering, you asshole!" he called out before giving the door a solid kick.

Not even a full three seconds later, the door opened, revealing Gaara's scowling form before a pale hand shot out, jerked the pan in Naruto's hands through the doorway and once more slammed the door shut.

"Oh, come on, _again_?!" Naruto shouted. He threw his hands into the air grumbling about the rudeness of his newest neighbor as he stalked back off towards his apartment.

This guy was proving to be a tough nut to crack! Damn, if it weren't for that stupid Uchiha jerk, Naruto wouldn't even be trying so hard to get to know this guy! Just picturing the smug ass look on Sasuke's face when Naruto came back, defeated and no closer to finding out why Gaara stayed holed up in his apartment all day was making his blood boil.

"Why do I even bother?" he cried, and threw his hands up dramatically.

"Kurama, let this be a lesson to you to—Kurama?" Blue eyes shifted left, right, and peered around the small areas of his home as the distinct lack of his fuzzy buddy finally caught up to him.

"Kurama? Kura, where _are_ you, you crazy fox?!" Naruto cried, getting onto his knees and peering around under his tables and sofa for his pet.

Then he had a sudden image of Kurama peering curiously into Gaara's apartment, his small form almost slipping past the notice of both men and through the doorway had Naruto not noticed.

Oh shit. He couldn't have...could he? Naruto had been so busy focusing on Gaara...

"_Fuck,_" Naruto swore. "He's got Kurama!"

...

* * *

A small, lithe form darted across bare wooden floors, its nose firmly locked onto the sharp smell it was tracking. Even though it was distinctly foreign, the scent was also very very intriguing. Nothing had ever smelled like this before. An orange furred ear flicked upward as the small fox paused in its tracking, its red-tinted eyes glinting in the dimness of the apartment as it lifted its nose to the air once more and began making faint, almost undetectable grunting noises.

The smell had been bothering the small creature for days. Ever since its master had decided to try befriending the other human, the odd same-not-same smell had been wafting from the open door behind the stranger and it had been driving the small fox insane not knowing what it was. It had finally grown fed up with the repeated blockages and simply waited until both its master and the other human had been too distracted to pay attention to him to sneak around them both.

Kurama gave a startled flinch when the door slammed and hurriedly fled to the safety of a sofa before dashing underneath. Agitated at the scare, the small fox huffed to itself as it peered from beneath the worn leather, its eyes glinting faintly as it watched pale feet lightly pad across the wooden floor.

The sound of the strange human put the small fox on edge; it had not yet found what it was looking for. Revealing himself to this human would only lead to him being ejected from the area and away from his prey. It definitely wouldn't be the first time; some of the humans he and his master visited had smelly mutts and uppity cats slinking about in their dwellings. Kurama only sought them out to let them know who was boss, of course. He knew what those creatures smelled like. This though...this was _new_.

Kurama snorted in confusion, his tail flicking in agitation. From a few feet away the human paused, its faint movements suddenly stilling as it seemed to be listening for him. The fox patiently sat, knowing that the human would soon dismiss the sound; after all, how could creatures with such dull senses detect him?

"Shukaku?" Kurama's ears perked as he heard the human call out. After a moment, the large creature made a soft sound of puzzlement and left the area, leaving Kurama to stick his head out from his hiding spot in curiosity to track the movement.

Then he heard it.

A short, faint growl that made every hair on his neck stand on end. Uncaring that he was blowing his cover, Kurama skittered forward, his sleek form darting in the wake of the human's steps.

...

* * *

Naruto had worked himself into a tizzy. He knew that there was no other explanation for the whereabouts of his beloved pet, but he also knew that there was absolutely no way that Gaara would even give him the time of day after their recent encounter.

Shit. Shit shit _shit_, what was he supposed to do?

He paced in front of his new neighbor's doorway, his blue eyes anxious as he tried to work up the courage to knock on the door. It was easy right? Just knock, beg for Gaara to open the door and return his furry friend, and then he'd be on his way.

Frantically nodding to himself, Naruto finally stopped mid-pace and reached out to firmly knock on the front door.

_Knock knock knock._

Gaara frowned as he set his nearly limp bundle back down on his bed. A frown creased his hairless brow as he left the bedroom, a faint tickle in his gut already hinting at who his unwanted guest might be. There was only _one_ person in Konoha Flats who was so persistent and just couldn't take a goddamn hint.

And there he was was.

Uzumaki fucking Naruto.

The redhead peered through the peephole at the moron, his instincts screaming at him to just ignore the door, but something in the blond's stance was different. It was no longer one of lazy anticipation or barely leashed energy; it was that of tightly wound tension, as if something was causing the blond man great distress.

_It can't hurt to see what he wants_, Gaara thought to himself. He couldn't do anything worse than he'd already done, right?

The redhead opened his front door, noting the wide, pleading blue eyes immediately locking onto his face with a bit of suspicion. Why was the idiot looking at him that way?

"Look Gaara," Naruto began in a rush, "I know we got off to the wrong foot and all-"

_No fucking kidding_, he thought with dark humor.

"But I really _really_ need your help!" the blond begged, peering into Gaara's face hopefully.

Gaara blinked slowly. _Naruto_ needed _his_ help?

"With what?" he blurted without meaning to. His eye twitched. Dammit, now he was forced to listen to the idiot's request.

Stupid mouth.

"Well...I uh…"

Gaara narrowed his eyes. Why the hell was the moron suddenly hesitating like that? "Well, _what_?" he asked, suddenly very very suspicious. Was this some kind of ploy to get Gaara to become his friend or something?

"I kind of need to uh...go in your apartment and look for Kurama," he said in a rush.

Gaara frowned. "Why would your pet be in my apartment," he wondered aloud, but was not really asking. He was genuinely confused as to why Naruto's pet would be in _his_ apartment of all places. It wasn't like he'd interacted with it or anything.

That didn't stop Naruto from trying to come up with a good excuse though. "Look, I didn't do this on purpose! Sometimes he gets away from me and the last place I remember seeing him is-"

"I doubt he's here," Gaara said coldly, abruptly cutting Naruto off. "I would have noticed if your fox had come into my-"

_CRASH_. _THUMP._

Low, furious snarling and growling came from behind Gaara's door causing both men to jump in surprise. Before Gaara could even think to protest, Naruto had shoved open his door so hard he almost wrenched Gaara's arm out of its socket.

"Kura!" Naruto cried in panic as he shoved past his startled neighbor.

Gaara felt his own flare of panic as he started to follow, his mind flying at a million miles a minute as he tried to figure out the cause of all the noise. At this rate, his secret would be blown and he'd get into tons of trouble!

"_Wait_!" he snapped, just as he managed to grasp Naruto's shoulder. The blond turned furious blue eyes blazing with determination onto the redhead before he jerked out of the hold and continued his whirlwind march towards the source of the animalistic howling, grunting, and yowling going on.

They both rounded the corner headed towards the bedroom hallway, only to stop at the sight that greeted them.

Kurama had his back arched defensively as he gave low, coughing growls of agitation, his small form slowly circling amongst the debris of what had once been a very nice looking clay pot.

A slightly larger and very fat animal was warily circling the aggravated fox, its large tail thumping the ground as it growled menacingly at the smaller animal. It somewhat resembled a dog, but its face was thinner and its muzzle more tapered than any dog Naruto knew of. Around its eyes, it had a racoon-like mask, which held bright golden eyes that were locked onto the burning copper of the fox's.

"The hell is _that_?" Naruto cried, just as Gaara gave a sharp, "_No_, Shukaku!"

Startled, the fat animal released its deadly glare on the fox to give the redhead its attention. That was all the provocation that Naruto's pet needed as it took advantage of the other animal's dropped guard and _pounced_.

The two animals began rolling across the floor, snapping and snarling at one another, even as Naruto cried out and Gaara cursed as the two furry bundles sent fur flying into the air as they ferociously tussled and crashed into another of his decorative pieces.

The resulting crash made the two males wince, and the two animals separated briefly in surprise as they skittered away from the mess of broken pottery.

Naruto dashed forward and scooped up his panting pet, who was alternating between a strange coughing and a high-pitched clicking sound that Naruto recognized as bad news. "Kurama, what the _hell_?!" he scolded, clutching the squirming fox in both his arms as it tried to wriggle away from him.

Beside them, Gaara had lifted the fat thing by the scruff of its neck and it dangled there almost limply, even as its eyes glared furiously at the equally subdued fox.

"_Shukaku_," Gaara growled, his aqua eyes narrowed. The animal merely half-heartedly bared its teeth and sullenly licked its muzzle in response.

The sound of Gaara's voice snapped Naruto out of his confusion. The blond gaped at the redhead and his pet, his blue eyes wide as saucers as he took in the sight of the strange animal now that it wasn't trying to tear his fox apart.

"What the hell is that?" Naruto demanded. "Is that thing even legal?!"

"It's not a thing," Gaara barked out sharply. "It's a tanuki and you should leave now that you have what you came for," he stressed as he placed his pet inside his bedroom and abruptly shut the door before it could follow him back out.

"Tanu-you have a _tanuki_? Those things are endangered! And nearly untameable!"

"Uzumaki," Gaara said, crossed his arms over his chest. "Get _out_."

"But-"

"You're trespassing," he said stonily as he grit his teeth and pointed towards the wide-opened front door.

Naruto thought about demanding more of an explanation, but the hardened blue-green eyes locked on his face were clear in their demand. Get out or be forced out.

He could take a hint.

...Sometimes.

"Fine," he said stiffly as he began to march back the way he came. A quick glance to the kitchen revealed its sparse contents-did this guy even eat?-and near the refrigerator lay both of the small baking pans Naruto had seen disappear into his neighbor's house. The pasta pan from a few days ago had been scraped clean and today's casserole had clearly just been started on by the small, spoon-shaped scoops missing from it.

Why did that make him happy?

He didn't have much time to dwell on it though, because Gaara had followed him to the door and then they were glaring at one another. For a second, the redhead looked hesitant before his mouth opened and he muttered, "Don't tell anyone what you saw here."

Almost immediately, he knew that was the wrong thing to say. The glare on Naruto's face disappeared as a calculating look crossed those expressive blue eyes. A smirk curved the blond's lips and Gaara felt his heart speed up in unease.

"Oh don't worry," Naruto said slyly. "I'm sure we'll get to know each other _really_ well soon."

_Goddamn it,_ Gaara thought. Had he really thought the blond was a moron? Clearly Naruto had almost instantly realized the implications of him keeping Shukaku a secret.

"I'll be in touch," his obnoxious neighbor sing-songed as he practically twirled away.

Gaara slammed the door behind himself.

_Welcome to Konoha freaking Flats,_ he thought bitterly.


End file.
